Advice needed: Is it possible to overcome a bad undergrad GPA? Thoughts from a non-traditional grad applicant

[PoorMansKvothe]

Hey friends - I'm in dire need of some real-talk advice here. I'd really appreciate anyone who is willing to read this and provide their critical thoughts.

TLDR: how to overcome a terrible (3.2/4.0) undergrad GPA and get into a Canadian school?

I am a mid-20s, non-traditional, BC graduate-student applying for Canadian medical school for the first time. I would have a very competitive application, but for one major caveat: my undergrad GPA is horrible (3.2/4.0).

I did my undergraduate degree in honours Engineering. The first 4 years of my undergrad, I had very little motivation to become an engineer, and my grades reflected that: up until 4th year, my cGPA was ~2.8/4.0.

Things changed late in 4th year when I landed a co-op placement in the health sector. I never truly considered medicine - but this job made me realize that I must become a doctor. Nothing made me feel so fulfilled as when I worked directly with patients. From then on, my only goal was to get into Canadian medical school.

So I picked up my game. I switched my engineering concentration to a health-focused specialization, and in that 5th and final year of undergrad I earned a GPA of 3.7/4.0, which brought up my cGPA to 3.2/4.0. Realizing that this was still not going to get me into medical school, though, I accepted an offer to do my Master's in Engineering, in the hopes that it could offset my disappointing undergrad.

Three years later: I feel like a new person.

I have a 4.0 Graduate GPA (based on 4 grad courses), 10+ research publications/presentations, 4+ years working in a hospital environment, >$100k earned from scholarships/awards, and other diverse extracurriculars (executive of a large charity, pilot's license, music, etc.). I even wrote the MCAT last summer, and got a CARS score of 128.

I turned my whole life around in 3 years, and I finally felt that I had built myself a solid application for med.

The problem is: it seems like none of it matters.

I can't escape the 3.20 engineering undergrad GPA, which disqualifies me from even applying to most schools. The various wGPA formulas don't help, since my grades were mediocre across the board until 5th year.

So how do I prove to admissions committees that I have, in fact, changed?

The way I see it, I have 2 options.

1. Do a second undergraduate degree.

2. Do a PhD.

Second undergrad:

Pros:

• Can probably get transfer credit to turn a 4 year undergrad into a 2-3 year program.

• Potential to overwrite my first undergrad GPA.

• Can apply to med every year during the 2nd undergrad, while constantly building a better application profile.

Cons:

• Will be boring. Especially coming from grad school as someone in their mid 20s.

• Pointless unless I kill the 2nd undergrad with a near-perfect GPA.

• No guarantee of acceptance even after a perfect 2nd undergrad, in which case the 2nd degree is useless (unlike a PhD).

• Would a 2nd undergrad look strange to an admissions reviewer? Probably?

PhD:

Pros:

• I have standing PhD program offers in Canada and abroad (which may sound suspicious, but, yeah, I really did do that much better in grad school vs undergrad).

• PhD's are cool.

Cons:

• Minimum 4 year commitment.

• Can't apply to med while enrolled in a PhD program. So when I can finally apply, I'd be almost 30.

• Can't find clear information on how undergrad GPA factors into PhD-holding applications. The 3.20 undergrad GPA may still filter me out of many schools.

I'm leaning towards the 2nd undergrad option. However, information on how a 2nd undergrad degree factors into med school applications is limited, and success stories scarce. Some schools, like UBC, will simply average the second degree GPA into the first. Others, like Western and Queens, will only look at the 2nd degree.

If you or anyone you know has been in a similar situation, please lend me your insight - especially when it comes to doing a second undergraduate degree. After several years of critical reflection, I now know that medicine is the only thing I want to do. But I'm feeling lost on how to get there.

Sincerely,

A desperate, yet cautiously hopeful, non-traditional applicant :]

[Bowser2]

Hi I got into UBC MD this year (although I declined it) and I have been offering free mentorship since, on admissions. DM me we can chat more about your situation!

[MedicineLCS]

There's no "proving" yourself to Canadian admissions committees by doing a PhD. The computer will most likely reject you based off your undergrad GPA first, after all, medicine is structured like an undergraduate program and so undergraduate grades are more predictive. You need more undergrad course work, but think carefully about the cost of doing more years of school. 

[bearded frog]

Unless you would do a PhD otherwise, don't do it. Especially already having a master's degree, the improvement to your application will be negligible considering the time investment. You already know where your weakness is - your undergrad GPA. You need to do some detailed research into each school and how you fare GPA wise. Some schools will do some weighting that may advantage you if your latest years were better, some will consider your graduate GPA, so you may be better off than you think. Otherwise it's more undergrad, either as a second degree or post-bac, whichever is better with the math during your research.

[LostLamb]

Do a second undergrad. 

[W0lfgang]

Your chances are much better with a second undergrad than a PhD. Don't do a PhD if you don't want to go into academia or industry.

[Bambi]

1. Do a second undergraduate degree.